yesterday 08 23 the ferry leaving mukilteo going to clinton travelled far to the north before beginning to land at clinton. any particular reason??????

Pilot in training.

Wind and current are the most common reasons. Each terminal sports a windsock to indicate wind, though the Clinton terminal is usually a bit shielded from the prevailing winds. Current is another reason. The Puget Sound basin sees extreme tidal changes, sometimes as much as 15 feet or 4.5-5 meters from low to high. That means a LOT of water moves in and through the basin with each swing of the tides. The Mukilteo terminal sits almost at a point (hence the lighthouse), so the currents are particularly strong past the terminal. Combine wind and current and docking can be very tricky. This is why on the Mukilteo side you so often hear the bow thrusters being used to counter the forces and push into the dock. The bow thrusters on these ferries are big swiveling electric fans on the bottom of the hull, one at each end. At least I think they swivel, but I may be wrong. Their job is to move the ship sideways. One final reason: other traffic in the area.

Sometimes they come in on the northern ramp due to wind direction

Weather or traffic

The reason why maybe It was too windy and they usually do that